Turkey, Mongolia look to further enhance relations

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia

Turkey's parliament speaker hailed on Monday the deep-rooted ties with Mongolia, voicing the desire to further develop the existing relations in every field.

Speaking during the inter-committee meetings in Mongolia’s capital of Ulaanbaatar, Mustafa Sentop termed their bilateral ties "excellent".

“We celebrate the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic relations based on friendship ongoing for thousands of years,” Sentop said.

"Our friendship and relations based on this common history and legacy left by our ancestors will overcome every kind of difficulty,” he said later in a joint news conference with his Mongolian counterpart Gombojav Zandanshatar.

“What we need to do is to strengthen relations in every field to the highest level by benefiting from this historic background,” he added.

A parliamentary assembly composed of Turkish-speaking countries and countries which have common roots is on the cards, Sentop said.

Sentop went on to say that the state-run aid group, Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) -- which has realized more than 600 projects in Mongolia so far -- would continue its efforts.

Combatting FETO

With regards to the fight against Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), he said: “I’ve gladly seen that we are on the same page [with Mongolia] on FETO.”

“We are dedicated to not to allow FETO, which is a sneaky terror organization, to poison our relations," he noted.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

For his part, the Mongolian parliament speaker said that they regard Turkey as the “third neighbor” of Mongolia.

Mongolia wants to boost economic cooperation, particularly in tourism, Zandanshatar said.

He also expressed his dedication to rooting out FETO schools in the country, saying: “We are carrying out every kind of work that we can do, against these schools operating in Mongolia.”

Sentop, later, held a closed-door meeting with Mongolian President Battulga Khaltma at the presidential palace.

*Writing by Nilay Kar Onum